SHEC Labs achieved breakthrough
performance in manufacturing hydrogen
from water using the sun's power
15 July 2004
Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation (SHEC Labs)
reported that they have demonstrated the
production of Hydrogen from water using their
proprietary Solar Thermal Chemical Process. The
Hydrogen production was accomplished at the
APS (Arizona Public Service) Solar Test and
Research Facility in Tempe, Arizona on June 8th
and again June 28th, 2004. Utilizing the hot
Arizona sun and a new Solar Concentrator
developed by the Lab, the research team was able
to extract Hydrogen from water at a temperature of
850 degrees Celsius (1562° Fahrenheit).
SHEC is developing Thermo Chemical and Solar
Electric Hydrogen Processes to extract hydrogen
from water using the sun's energy. This has the
potential for becoming an economical method for
the commercial scale production of clean
renewable hydrogen. The process relies on a
thermal-catalytic cycle which requires heat as an
input. Instead of burning fossil fuels to create the
necessary process heat (and generating
greenhouse gases in the process), SHEC labs
intends to employ the heat of the sun by using
mirrors to focus sunlight onto a chemical reactor.
Tom Beck, Founder and President of SHEC-Labs,
commented "We are extremely pleased by the
results of this test. The test run and the production
numbers were right in line with our computer
modeling. We believe we have achieved
breakthrough performance with our ability to
manufacture hydrogen from water using the sun's
power." Also in attendance was Mark McWhirter,
Senior Energy Engineer for The State of Arizona
Department of Energy.
Independent engineering companies have verified
that SHEC labs' process can produce hydrogen
from water at temperatures significantly lower than
1000 degrees Celsius. Direct thermal water splitting
in comparison normally requires temperatures of
2000 degrees Celsius to begin the reaction and
5000 degrees Celsius to optimize the reaction.
"The United States, Japan, Canada, and France
have investigated thermal water splitting, a radically
different approach to creating hydrogen. This
process uses heat of up to 5,430°F (3,000°C) to
This successful test was the second for SHECLabs. In Late May of this year the team produced split water molecules"1. The SHEC labs catalytic
process, on the other hand, has operated as low as
Hydrogen from Natural Gas using a similar
technology. SHEC-Labs is planning additional tests 400 degrees Celsius. Their process dramatically
in the next few weeks, using a variety of catalysts reduces radiant energy losses and the material
problems associated with higher temperatures are
and temperatures.
minimized. Their 18 inch diameter solar
concentrator has been able to achieve
SHEC Labs, founded in 1996, has developed
temperatures in excess of 750 degrees Celsius.
technologies to more economically harness the
SHEC Labs has also developed advanced "high
power of the sun, reduce the temperatures
ratio" solar concentrators capable of concentrating
required for the disassociation of water and more
the power of the sun by 5,000 times.
economically produce hydrogen from fossil fuels.
Their solar concentrators can be used for heating,
SHEC labs' defines as it's mission: To provide the
thermal based air conditioning, electrical power
world with an inexhaustible source of clean,
generation, hydrogen production, and other
renewable energy and like its predecessor, 'The
applications.
Industrial Revolution', to usher in 'The energy
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revolution' by harvesting the sun's energy to
produce an economically viable source of hydrogen
and other energy sources."
APA citation: SHEC Labs achieved breakthrough performance in manufacturing hydrogen from water
using the sun's power (2004, July 15) retrieved 15 June 2017 from https://phys.org/news/2004-07-sheclabs-breakthrough-hydrogen-sun.html
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